Machine for separating and feeding spool-blanks, &amp;c.



L. S. BISBEE.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING SPOOL BLANKS APPLICATION FILED APR. 1. 1914.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

LEROY S. BISBEE, OF WEST SUMNER, MAINE.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING SPOOL-BLANKS, &e.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

Application filed April 1, 1914. Serial No. 828,878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY S. BISBEE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of \Vest Sumner, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Separating and Feeding Spool-Blanks, &e., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for separating from a mass of loose spool blanks or other articles, or blanks from which other articles are to be made, detached blanks or articles and delivering the same in a regular and predetermined manner for subsequent treatment.

In the case of spool blanks the object of the invention is to present the blanks one at a time in a predetermined position to a machine for nurling, boring, or otherwise treating the blanks.

The invention has for its object to provide a simple machine for the purpose indicated adapted to rapidly separate blanks from a confused mass in which the blanks are more or less interlocked, and to properl present the blanks to the mechanism whici subsequently treats the same.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification; Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 represents a section on line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary section on line 55 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating the escape of surplus blanks from the chute which conducts the blanks to the machine which acts on them; Fig. 6 represents a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of the drum hereinafter referred to, one of the blank outlets therein, and a blank elevating and delivering hood associated with said outlet.

The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all of the views.

12 represents a suitable supporting base on which are mounted uprights 13 supporting cross bars 15, said bars supporting bearing 16 in which a shaft 17 is journaled. To said shaft is affixed a tumbling drum 18, which is open at one end and closed at the opposite end, as shown by Fig. 3. The shaft and drum may be rotated by a belt, not shown, running on a pulley 19 attached to the shaft.

21 represents a hopper supported below the shaft 17, said hopper having an open inner end projecting into the open end of the drum, as shown by Fig. 3, and being inclined so that spool blanks dumped into the hopper will gravitate into the drum, the delivering end of the hopper being curved to conform to the periphery of the drum, as indicated by Fig. 4, so that the hopper and the lower portion of the drum collectively form a receptacle for a mass of loose blanks.

The periphery of the drum is provided with a series of orifices or outlets 22, which are formed to permit the escape through the periphery of the lower portion of the drum of such blanks as happen to be positioned in such manner as to enable them to enter said outlets. The rotation of the drum tumbles the blanks therein and so positions some of the blanks that they are enabled to gravitate through the out-lets at the lower portion of the drum and are therefore separated from the mass of blanks in the drum.

The exterior of the drum is provided with a series of hoods 23, each of which is arranged to receive a blank passing through one of the outlets 22. A preferred form and relative arrangement of the outlet 22 and hood 23 in a machine for separating and feeding spool blanks is clearly shown by Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6, the hood being substantially U-shaped in cross section and closed at its outer end by a head 23*. A blank passing through the outlet 22 into a hood 23 is permitted to escape therefrom by gravitation through the open inner side or mouth 23 of the hood, the sides of the hood being inclined, as clearly shown by Figs. 1 and 5, and the inclination of said sides bein such that when a hood has been elevated by the rotation of the drum in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 to a point coinciding with the upper end of the delivering chute 25 hereinafter described, a blank 26 in the hood will gravitate through the mouth 23 into the chute, as indicated by Fig. 5.

Blanks entering the hoods 23 through the outlets in the lower portion of the drum are retained in said hoods and prevented from escaping through the mouths thereof until they reach the level of the upper end of the chute, by means of a retaining wall 27, which is suitably aflixed to the supporting frame and has a segmental edge 27 (Fig. 4:) partially surrounding and concentric with the periphery of the drum, one end portion of said wall extending upwardly to the bottom of the chute 25, so that a blank being elevated by a hood 23 cannot escape therefrom until the hood reaches the up )er end of the chute, whereupon the bla k gravitates from the hood and passes down thechute.

' It will now be seen that the mass of blanks deposited in any convenitent way in the'hopper 21 will find their way by gravity into the lower portion of the drum 18 and will be tumbled by the rotation of the drum, individual blanks being thus caused to enter the hoods 23 at the lower portion of the drum and being elevated by the rotation of the 'drum'until they reach the upper end of the chute into which they pass by gravity.

The machine which acts on the blanks thus separated and fed is not illustrated, the same forming no part of my invention. It is sufficient to say that the blanks are taken one by one from the lower end of the chute by suitable automatic means provided for that purpose.

Means are provided for permitting the return to the hopper 21 of the surplus blanks delivered by the hoods to the chute 1n case the blanks are not taken away from the lower end of the chute as fast as they are delivered to the upper end. The bottom of the chute is provided with an openiIi'g 29 through which blanks 26 may drop. Said opening separates the bottom of the chute into an'upper and a lower portion, the blank supporting face of the upper portion being designated by 25, while the blank supporting face of the lower portion is designated by the numeral 25 The face 25 i's'o'fi'set from the plane of the face 25, as indicated by Figs. 5 and 5 and the size of the opening is such that when the blanks are passing unobstructedly down the chute, as indicated by Fig. 5, each blank will ump across the opening from the face 25 to the face 25 and continue its downward course on the face'25 f When, however, there is a stagnation or stoppage of blanks on the face 25", the upper arrested blank which is at the upper end of the face 25* forms a stop for the following blanks, which drop through the opening 29, as indicated by Ili 5 The blanks thus dropping may fal directly into the chute 21, the latter being extended under the opening 29. I prefer, however, to provide a spout 30 under the opening 29 adapted to direct the escaping blanks in 0 the hopper.

It isbbvious that the form of the outlets 22 an'd hoods 23 may be varied to suit the eciiliarities in form of the blanks se arated R i {JV-a 54 7 and fed by the machine. The hoods 23 may deliver blanks in the manner described directly to the mechanism which subsequently treats the blanks, the chute 25 being omitted, or some other conveying means substituted therefor. The receiving end of the chute 25 is located outside the periphery of the drum, to receive blanks escaping through said periphery.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A machine of the character stated, comprising a rotary drum adapted to tumble a collection of blanks and provided with outlets in its periphery permitting the in dependent escape of the blanks which coincide in a predetermined manner with said outlets, and with blank-carrying and delivering hoods projecting from the periphery of the drum and adapted to receive blanks from said outlets and to elevate the blanks and permit their escape by gravity.

2. A machine of the character stated, comprising a blank-tumbling drum provided with blank outlets in its periphery and with external blank-carrying and delivering hoods adapted to receive blanks from the outlets at the lower portion of the drum, raise the blanks to higher delivering point at one side of the drum, and permit the escape of the blanks by gravity at said higher point, means being provided for confining the blanks in the hoods until the hoods reach said delivering point.

3. A machine of the character stated, comprising a blank-tumbling drum provided with blank outlets in its periphery and with external blank-carrying and delivering hoods adapted to receive blanks from the outlets at the lower portion of the drum, raise the blanks to higher delivering point at one side of the drum, and permit the escape of the blanks by gravity at said higher point, and a fixed confining wall having a segmental edge conforming to the lower portion of the periphery of the drum, said wall covering the exit openings of the hoods which are in position to receive blanks from the drum, and retaining the blanks in the hoods until they reach said delivering point.

4. A machine of the character stated, comprising a blank-tumbling drum provided with blank outlets in its periphery and with external blank-carrying and delivering hoods adapted to receive blanks from the outlets at the lower portion of the drum, raise the blanks to higher delivering point at one side of the drum, and permit the escape of the blanks by gravity at said higher point, means for confining the blanks in the hoods until the hoods reach said delivering point, and an inclined chute arranged to receive and conduct away the blanks delivered by the hoods.

51 A machine of the character stated, comprising a rotary blank-tumbling drum open at one end and provided with blank outlets in its periphery, and with external means for elevating and permitting the escape by gravity of the blanks which pass through said outlets, and a hopper having an open end projecting into the lower portion of the open end of the drum.

6. A machine of the character stated comprising a rotary hollow blank-tumbling drum open at one end and having means for permitting the escape of blanks through its periphery in a predetermined manner, and means for elevating said blanks to a delivering point higher than the lowest portion of the drum, a hopper arranged to deliver blanks to the lower portion of the drum, and an inclined chute arranged to receive the elevated blanks, the receiving end of the chute being outside the periphery of the drum to receive blanks discharged through said periphery.

7. A machine of the character stated, comprising a hopper, a rotary drum communicating internally with the hopper and having means for permitting the escape of blanks in a predetermined manner and means for elevating said blanks to a delivering point higher than the lowest portion of the drum, and an inclined chute arranged to receive the delivered blanks and conduct the same from the delivering point, means being provided for permitting the return of surplus blanks from the chute to the hopper.

8. A machine of the character stated, comprising a hopper, a rotary drum communicating internally with the hopper and having means for permitting the escape of blanks in a predetermined manner and means for elevating said blanks to a delivering point higher than the lowest portion of the drum, and an inclined chute arranged to receive the delivered blanks and conduct the same from the delivering point, the inclined bottom of the chute being provided with an outlet opening which separates said bottom into an upper and a lower inclined portion, the lower portion being in a plane offset from the plane of the upper portion, Whereby unobstructed blanks are adapted to pass over the opening from the upper to the lower portion, the opening permitting the escape of blanks when the chute is obstructed by an accumulation of surplus blanks on said lower portion.

9. A machine of the character stated, comprising a hopper, a rotary drum communicating internally with the hopper and having means for permitting the escape of blanks in a predetermined manner and means for elevating said blanks to a delivering point higher than the lowest portion of the drum, and an inclined chute arranged to receive the delivered blanks and conduct the same from the delivering point, the inclined bottom of the chute being provided with an outlet opening which separates said bottom into an upper and a lower inclined portion, the lower portion being in a plane offset from the plane of the upper portion, whereby unobstructed blanks are adapted to pass over the opening from the upper to the lower portion, the opening permitting the escape of blanks when the chute is obstructed by an accumulation of surplus blanks on said lower portion, a spout being provided under said opening adapted to deliver the escaping blanks to the hopper.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

LEROY S. BISBEE.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. GILCREAS, CLIFTON E. DUNHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0." 

